HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-06-13-COA-minCOUNCIL ON AGING
Meeting, Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Attending were: Betty Borghesani
Shirley Buck
Bob Edwards
Marian Cohen, Chairperson
Paul Lapointe
Frieda Oliner
Dan Fenn
Lauren McSweeney, Executive Director
Richard Pagett, Board of Selectmen Liaison
Three members of the Lexington Senior Associates
Minutes of Previous Meeting
Minutes of the May 16, 2006 meeting of the COA were approved with one correction.
Times and Dates of Future COA Meetings
After some discussion it was decided to have future meetings on the second Thursday of
each month at 3:30 PM, to provide more uniform (and easier to remember) scheduling
than the recent alternating between Tuesdays and Thursdays. There will be no July
meeting, The next meeting will therefore be on Thursday, August 10 at 3:30 PM,
Director's Report
Lauren stated that she is working to get a Clerk for the Day Care activity for 10 hours per
week, and a Volunteer Coordinator, Richard Pagett suggested trying to obtain a volunteer
to fill some positions, There are other services around town using such help. Lauren will
provide a job description to the COA members. This will be discussed further at the
August meeting.
The FCOA fundraiser, a jazz music concert to be held at the National Heritage Museum
on Friday, June 16, is not selling well. Instead of the original $20 per ticket price, the
tickets are now being given out free, and a donation requested. Fortunately, the costs of
the band and the facility rental are being covered by sponsors, so whatever is received in
donations will go to the FCOA. (Later report — it was quite a success, with a good
crowd),
BOS Goal Setting Meeting
The Board of Selectmen will hold a Goal Setting Meeting at the Depot Building on
Tuesday, July 11 from 9 AM to I PM. Marian needs our input ASAP to make
recommendations to the BOS by June 30. She needs this by June 20. Ideas already
suggested were the Reverse 911 program, and the continuing need for a New Senior
Center,
Marian will present the results of our three surveys conducted in 2003 to the BOS on
Monday, June 26, at 7:30 PM. We were given copies of her Cover Letter and the Survey
Summary to review and comment. Dan Fenn suggested it would be clearer to present the
results at the beginning of the study rather than have the conditions of the survey
presented first. Marian felt that the latter was the classical way to present such
information, but agreed to look at this and let us know her final conclusion. She would
like to have COA and LEXSA members on hand, to reinforce the need for a new Center
with brief statements.
LEXSA / COA Relationship
The ground rules for the Lexington Senior Advocates group working with the COA were
discussed, and were generally agreed upon as follows. LEXSA and COA will operate
independently, but can consult with each other, offer suggestions and call upon each
other for assistance as needed. The COA is glad to have the LEXSA group expressing the
views of seniors of the town and helping to get action on items that are important to us.
MySeniorCenter Proposal Appraisal
Marian asked for the opinions of the COA members on the proposal by the
MySeniorCenter organization to furnish a recording /tracking /reporting system for the
Lexington Senior Center. All members were in favor of procuring the system, using
funds from the FCOA. This will furnish much more complete data than previously
available on who uses the Center, how often, and the users' interests, so we will be in a
better position to answer questions asked by the Town and State on the needs of our
elderly.
Concern was expressed on whether seniors would fear that the information might be used
for surreptitious purposes, or that they were being "spied" upon. It was agreed that
benefits of the system inust be explained to them carefully in advance, and supplemented
by written handouts, Paul Lapointe suggested incentives for compliance, such as
occasional low cost (or free) lunches. Frieda Oliner suggested training /introduction
sessions for seniors. John Federochko offered help from the LEXSA group to implement
the system.
COA Bylaws
Marian had provided a handout of the latest proposed COA Bylaws, with a number of
questions for us to consider in deciding on changes that may be necessary. For instance,
the sequence of COA members' terms, the duration of terms, the need for a Treasurer's
office when our only funds come from the FCOA Treasurer, a COA meeting attendance
policy for continued membership, interaction with the State agency, etc. Dan Fenn asked
whether the present Town Manager believes we are responsible for running the Senior
Center, or simply advising it. Marian would like to see a sub - committee formed to
explore these matters and make recommendations to the COA, but one was not set up at
this meeting. We are to consider her list of concerns and be prepared to discuss them at
the next meeting in August.
Next Meeting
The next COA meeting will be held on Thursday, August 10, 2006 at 3;30 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Robert E. Edwards, Acting Secretary